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Lohan says fingernail expletive was a joke, not a jab at judge

Actress Lindsay Lohan wrote Wednesday that an expletive visible on her fingernail during the court hearing where she got 90 days in jail was a joke unrelated to the Beverly Hills case.

Lohan wrote on her Twitter account that the vulgarity on her middle fingernail "had nothing to do w/court. It's an airbrush design from a stencil xx."

As the actress told Judge Marsha N. Revel on Tuesday that she was taking the probation violation seriously, the expletive was captured by the courtroom photographer. It raised questions about the message she was sending.

In a series of Twitter messages, Lohan also wrote about "cruel and inhuman punishment," quoting from the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights. She also linked to a Newsweek story about the stoning of an Iranian woman.

The fingernail was visible as Lohan wiped tears from her eyes during a last-ditch attempt to avoid jail after the judge decided the actress had violated her probation by failing to attend weekly alcohol education classes. Lohan's probation stems from a conviction for driving under the influence following two DUI incidents in 2007 during which she also tested positive for cocaine.